Helping Fiance Tone Up for Big Day

Training
21

[quote]dennis3k wrote:
Ha, guess I haven’t been on here in awhile.
Things are going good, she’s looking a bit better, but weight & measurements aren’t moving and she’s not liking that. Everything is exactly the same numbers wise
Any suggestions if stuck? Any little pre show tricks to get that last little bit of fat? She’s just wanting to look good for the one day then go back to her regular routine, still eating healthy and whatnot, but she’s killing herself trying to get to her ideal shape right now.[/quote]

Two months and no change in measurements? It’s not unusual for women who first start lifting to see scale weight stay put, but I’d expect to see changes in waist, hips, thighs, etc…

And if you truly have a deficit going on for two months, you should be seeing weight loss. That’s enough time to see noticeable change.

If she isn’t keeping a detailed food log, weighing and measuring everything, then I’d suggest doing that first thing. Do you know exactly how many calories are going in? If you are eating more complex foods - eating out and such - it can be hard to accurately estimate, and people often WAY underestimate how much they are eating.

Analyze cheats. Maybe try not doing any cheat meals for two weeks to get things rolling. Think lean protein and veggies for a solid couple of weeks, or substitute a protein shake for a meal.

I realize this is more than just simple math, but when there’s increased calorie expenditure, and a decrease in calorie intake something has to budge.

I’m not an expert, so you might try running this by Chris Colucci or Stu. You will need to give more detailed information for anybody to be sure about what’s going on here. After 2 months of working hard and eating less, she should be looking different.

EDIT: A two WEEK plateau is not unusual. A two MONTH plateau means something isn’t right.

I’d try counting calories religiously, and if that doesn’t shed some light then I’d consult someone experienced in training women.

Just another thought, if she’s been through cancer treatment as a kid, I’d wonder if that could cause metabolic or other issues. Probably not the answer, but worth asking her physician about it to be sure.

22

[quote]Powerpuff wrote:

[quote]dennis3k wrote:
Ha, guess I haven’t been on here in awhile.
Things are going good, she’s looking a bit better, but weight & measurements aren’t moving and she’s not liking that. Everything is exactly the same numbers wise
Any suggestions if stuck? Any little pre show tricks to get that last little bit of fat? She’s just wanting to look good for the one day then go back to her regular routine, still eating healthy and whatnot, but she’s killing herself trying to get to her ideal shape right now.[/quote]

Two months and no change in measurements? It’s not unusual for women who first start lifting to see scale weight stay put, but I’d expect to see changes in waist, hips, thighs, etc…

And if you truly have a deficit going on for two months, you should be seeing weight loss. That’s enough time to see noticeable change.

If she isn’t keeping a detailed food log, weighing and measuring everything, then I’d suggest doing that first thing. Do you know exactly how many calories are going in? If you are eating more complex foods - eating out and such - it can be hard to accurately estimate, and people often WAY underestimate how much they are eating.

Analyze cheats. Maybe try not doing any cheat meals for two weeks to get things rolling. Think lean protein and veggies for a solid couple of weeks, or substitute a protein shake for a meal.

I realize this is more than just simple math, but when there’s increased calorie expenditure, and a decrease in calorie intake something has to budge.

I’m not an expert, so you might try running this by Chris Colucci or Stu. You will need to give more detailed information for anybody to be sure about what’s going on here. After 2 months of working hard and eating less, she should be looking different.

EDIT: A two WEEK plateau is not unusual. A two MONTH plateau means something isn’t right.

I’d try counting calories religiously, and if that doesn’t shed some light then I’d consult someone experienced in training women.

Just another thought, if she’s been through cancer treatment as a kid, I’d wonder if that could cause metabolic or other issues. Probably not the answer, but worth asking her physician about it to be sure.
[/quote]

She’s eating clean but, I honestly think she’s eating more than she should, buuuuut everytime I try to talk to her about it she gets aggravated with me and then she’ll get disappointed with herself.

Right now, she’s doing a 3 day a week full body workout, then sprints with me 3 days a week, I’ve suggested trying another program but she seems set on following this one and Berardi’s Get Shredded diet until the end, but she makes her own modifications to the diet I find, like not enough of the suggested supplements and water. Really don’t want her ending up disappointed.

One thing that might matter is that all this week we’ve been hitting the gym at like 8:30, then coming home for supper at 9:30 ish…eating that late then bed by 11 bad if you want weight loss?

23

^ Sorry to hear about the slow start. It sounds like she really likes to workout, and was used to doing a lot of running and so forth. Diet really is KING, even more so for women because we don’t have nearly as much muscle to be resting metabolic machines.

I recently read about a couple that started dieting and working out together. He lost 25 pounds over a couple of months, and she did the same thing and only lost 5. Of course, she did build some lean mass, so she was looking different.

I’d rather see her lift 3 times per week, keep her diet dialed in, and just do a lot of walking. Not going to be exhausted and burned out. Seriously, my brother is a former professional jockey. When he needed to drop weight, it was all about diet.

I’m not sure when your wedding is, but she still has 2.5 months till the end of June. That’s plenty of time to drop 10 pounds. Seriously, I hope she’ll keep at it and just really dial in her diet. I’m pretty sure that’s where the trouble is.

Eating her biggest meal right before bed is probably not ideal. It would be better if that were just a Low-Carb Metabolic Drive Shake. That one change might help her start loosing.

Best of luck. Keep us posted.

24

Has she dieted before? If so ask her if she made her modifications to that program and how successful was she with that program? Sometimes people need to be subtly remind that we are our own biggest enemy. Nate Miyaki points out in his book that each meal and each workout are opportunities for us to effect how we look. Now if we eat 3-5 times a day and workout 1 a day our meals make up between 21 - 35 times and our workouts makeup 7.

So in terms of what is more important when it comes to changing the way our bodies look as Powerpuff said DIET IS KING. Whats more important to her looking the way she wants on your wedding day or cheating on the diet? I would do this all subtly of course.

25

Also, the only way to really stay on top of your diet is to write EVERYTHING down. Stu

26

And I keep track of 3 things calories, carbs, and protein. The less weight you have to lose the slower it comes off. I average about 1 pound per week (when dieting and training consistently), and I write everything down and count it up in my food journal. Counting the calories, carbs and protein is the only way to truly stay on top of everything… And it keeps me honest ;). I don’t really believe in cheat meals, if you don’t have a lot to lose (less than 25 pounds), 1 cheat meal can derail the progress you made all week.

Also, maybe there is a thyroid issue… My sister works hard and eats healthy, but has thyroid issues, making weight loss more difficult than it is for me.

27

Yeah, she said she’d be happy with 10 pounds as she’s starting to see some abs, but still has a bunch of pudge over the top…we went out and bought a scale that gives the calories and nutrient breakdown to everything, if you have to make something complicated then it takes awhile, but otherwise it’s a neat little scale, vs the old school one that we have.

A friend got 4th in Miss Fitness Canada several years ago and Best Overall Routine and she suggested adding 3 days a week of fasted intervals for 20-30 minutes as well as 30-40 minute walks 3 times a week, on top of her current 3 day a week full body lifting…although we were debating going on a 5 day split for that…just waitting to hear back from Robin, any input into that one? What works better for things like this with 8 weeks left? A split or full body?

28

[quote]Eating her biggest meal right before bed is probably not ideal. It would be better if that were just a Low-Carb Metabolic Drive Shake. That one change might help her start loosing.

[/quote]

What about one of Berardi’s Super Shakes Free Super Shake Guide: 5 Protein Smoothies For Building Muscle
Or, best to go with just plain protein (Low Carb Whey? Or a Casein?) and water?

29

[quote]JCMPG wrote:
Has she dieted before? If so ask her if she made her modifications to that program and how successful was she with that program? Sometimes people need to be subtly remind that we are our own biggest enemy. Nate Miyaki points out in his book that each meal and each workout are opportunities for us to effect how we look. Now if we eat 3-5 times a day and workout 1 a day our meals make up between 21 - 35 times and our workouts makeup 7.

[/quote]
Yeah, I’ve read some of Nate’s stuff and really like it…I think I may stear her towards his articles and let her learn a bit about it, instead of saying “Do This, Don’t Do That” as I feel like I’m lecturing her and am more a parent than anything…that make sense?

30

Absolutley man. I had do to alot of the same things with my wife. I would talk to her about some of the stuff I was reading and we would have a conversation about it instead of me talking at her it went alot better.

31

[quote]dennis3k wrote:

[quote]Eating her biggest meal right before bed is probably not ideal. It would be better if that were just a Low-Carb Metabolic Drive Shake. That one change might help her start loosing.

[/quote]

What about one of Berardi’s Super Shakes Free Super Shake Guide: 5 Protein Smoothies For Building Muscle
Or, best to go with just plain protein (Low Carb Whey? Or a Casein?) and water?[/quote]

It looks like the Super Shake has 1/3 cup nuts, a serving of fruit, 1 cup almond milk, and 2 scoops protein. If my math is correct, that’s about 705 calories. That’s a gainer shake. Not what we need here. Just adding the 1/3 cup nuts is going to add about 340 calories (1/3 cup is about 2 oz.).

I’d simplify that back to 1-2 scoops protein powder with .5-1 cup almond milk. For reference, I usually make mine with one scoop of vanilla protein powder, lots of ice, .5 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a shot of vanilla to bump the flavor, a teasp. of psyllium husk (keeps you full and adds fiber which you need if you are keeping grains to a minimum) and water. That’s only 135 cals and 20 grams of protein. If this is post workout for her, maybe keep .5 banana in there, but ditch the fat source for now. Maybe substitute a Tablespoon PB in the afternoon, with a serving of protein.

I don’t think the type of protein powder is nearly as important here as total cals and macros, but the Whey/ Casein blends like Low-Carb Metabolic Drive are slower release, which makes them ideal for use before bed.

I train in the morning, and try to keep my evenings just meat and veggies with a bit of EVOO, or a protein drink. I try to keep protein and carbs in the morning, fats and protein in the afternoon and evening. I know she’s training at night, so keeping the fruit in there makes more sense to help her build.

32

6.5 weeks left…I can hear the Jaws music now :stuck_out_tongue:
At least this is giving her (and me) a little side project (right word?) to work on while we work towards the big day :slight_smile:

What about training to lose fat? I’ve always been naturally lean so it was never a problem for me and not really sure how to adress the issue I guess is the best way to put it.
Should she be looking at a full body routine 3-4 days a week? Then gradually going lighter in the few days leading up to the big day?
Or would a body part split be better?
Anyone that’s competed? I’m thinking this would be comparable to that with regards to the training.

33

Thanks for the input on this one, I was thinking casein at night too a bit before bed.
Psyllium husk hungh? Never even heard of it, but one of the things she’s complained about is being hungry an hour later so that might be a good thing to look into.

34

[quote]dennis3k wrote:
as she’s starting to see some abs, but still has a bunch of pudge over the top…[/quote]

Just wanted to point out that a drop in the scale is not always necessary when loosing BF especially for a person new to lifting! If she is seeing changes in physique then something IS happening.

Confused tho as a bit higher up in this thread you said nothing was changing but here you say she is starting to see some abs?

35

[quote]coyotegal wrote:

[quote]dennis3k wrote:
as she’s starting to see some abs, but still has a bunch of pudge over the top…[/quote]

Confused tho as a bit higher up in this thread you said nothing was changing but here you say she is starting to see some abs?[/quote]

Well, she’s at the point where you can see the outline (Right word?) of abs under a couple of layers of fat, but I think she just wants to see more definition…that make sense?

36

Yeah for sure it does…but if she didnt have that before and she does now then she IS making good progress!!